Progressive Care Nursing Certification (PCCN) Practice Exam

If you mistakenly give a patient the wrong medication, your best response is to:

1. Ignore the error

2. Only tell the physician

3. Inform the patient and chart the error

4. Call the pharmacy for an antidote

The correct answer is: Inform the patient and chart the error

The most appropriate response after mistakenly administering the wrong medication is to inform the patient and chart the error. This approach emphasizes transparency and patient safety. Notifying the patient allows for immediate discussion about potential effects, enabling them to be monitored closely for any adverse reactions that could arise from the medication error. Documenting the error is equally critical. Accurate charting creates a permanent record that can be referred to for future care and assessments. It also helps in tracking patterns of errors if they occur repeatedly within a healthcare setting. This process is not just about accountability; it contributes to quality improvement initiatives by providing data points for staff training and protocol adjustments. In contrast, ignoring the error does not address the issue and could lead to serious consequences for the patient’s health. Simply telling the physician without informing the patient overlooks the patient's right to be part of their care decisions. Calling the pharmacy for an antidote may be necessary in specific situations, but it is not the first step, as the immediate focus should be on the patient’s awareness and safety regarding the error.